Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of the Attorney General
Jay Jones
Attorney General
202 North 9th Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804-786-2071
FAX 804-786-1991
Virginia Relay Service
800-828-1120
For media inquiries only, contact:
Rae Pickett
RPickett@oag.state.va.us
WHAT VIRGINIANS ARE SEEING: ATTORNEY GENERAL JAY JONES SHARES WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF ACTIONS TAKEN
Fights federal overreach in children’s online safety and the environment
RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jay Jones continued taking action to fight for stronger online safety for children and safeguard the health of the Commonwealth.
Protecting Virginia’s Children
Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of Attorneys General writing in opposition to the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, which puts regulation in the hands of social media companies and makes it more difficult for states to intervene. Virginia's children deserve to be protected on all fronts, and this office will continue to fight for them.
Attorney General Jay Jones Advocates for Stronger Guardrails Around Internet Safety
Today, Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of Attorneys General writing in opposition to the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act), H.R. 7757. Despite its name, the law fails to hold social media companies accountable for keeping young people safe from the proven harms of online platforms, including social media, and would undermine state laws already on the books.
“The KIDS Act is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, claiming to protect young Virginians online when in reality this bill will put children’s social media health in the hands of the companies that are currently attempting to skirt existing state law through their platforms,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “This bill is an attempt to step over the authority of both parents and guardians as well as the states’ enforcement powers. Virginia’s children deserve to be protected from unscrupulous Big Tech companies, and this office will use every legal tool available to fight for them.”
The KIDS Act inadequately covers a wide swath of online policy. Its provisions allow Big Tech companies to deny responsibility for what happens on their platforms, and prioritizes their own growth and profits over the well-being of minor users. Other parts of the bill effectively eliminate critical age verification standards for covered platforms and creates glaring loopholes around AI chatbots that endanger our young people.
Research consistently demonstrates the damage and negative mental health consequences of unfettered and unregulated access to online platforms like social media by young people. Instead of creating additional opportunities for states to intervene and protect children from these harms, the KIDS Act is another attempt by the federal government to grab power and limit state authority to put children over profits.
WTKR: ‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: Jay Jones joins dozens of AGs in opposing online KIDS Act
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joined numerous other attorneys general in opposition to a law he says weakens digital safety for children.
Jones is specifically calling out the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act. This act was introduced on March 3. This piece of legislation would embolden the federal government to make sweeping regulations in an effort to boost online safety for children, something Jones says would override existing safeguards at the state level.
[...]
In a statement sent to News 3, Jones affirmed his support for regulating children's access to online platforms. He said the KIDS Act will eliminate age verification standards while introducing loopholes regarding AI chatbots.
Protecting the Health of Virginians
The Commonwealth joined a coalition of states opposing an Environmental Protection Agency proposal that would gut national emission standards for a substance that is proven to cause cancer. This proposal puts the health of Virginians and our air in harm’s way.
Attorney General Jay Jones today joined a coalition of attorneys general opposing a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to repeal national emission standards for ethylene oxide (EtO) used by commercial sterilization facilities. According to the EPA’s own assessment, EtO is a known human carcinogen and among the most toxic pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act.
“The Commonwealth takes pride in being home to a diverse landscape and Virginians are united in our urgency to protect our air, land, and sea. This proposal puts the health of the people and our air in harm’s way,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “Virginians will not turn a blind eye as the Trump administration continues to ignore science and endanger the health of our communities. We urge the Trump administration and the EPA to keep this critical standard in place.”
Virginia Mercury: Virginia joins lawsuit to block EPA rollback of emission standards
Attorney General Jay Jones has joined 13 other attorneys general in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its proposal to repeal emissions standards for ethylene oxide, or EtO — a chemical often used by commercial sterilization facilities for medical supplies and considered one of the most toxic chemicals regulated under the Clean Air Act.
According to the National Cancer Institute, people who are chronically exposed to EtO through inhalation face a higher risk of DNA damage and elevated chances of lymphoma, leukemia, and stomach and breast cancers.
Under former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2024, the EPA tightened regulations on the toxic pollutant after updated scientific findings showed the chemical was more dangerous than previously understood.
The rule changes required the full capture of EtO emissions at sterilization facilities and continuous emissions monitoring to ensure the chemicals were not escaping into surrounding areas.
Now, President Donald Trump is ordering those stricter regulations to be halted and to be replaced with previous standards that were less stringent.
“Virginians will not turn a blind eye as the Trump administration continues to ignore science and endanger the health of our communities,” Jones said in a statement. “We urge the Trump administration and the EPA to keep this critical standard in place.”
[...]
The public comment period for the rule change ended earlier this month. The agency will now review submitted testimony and materials before finalizing the rule.
Published on: May 29, 2026
###